Manning proceeded to burn the Raiders for 310 yards passing, became the fastest quarterback to reach 5,000 career completions and led his team to a record 12th 10-win season as a starter. In the process, Manning further boosted his candidacy for an unprecedented fifth NFL MVP award. His four are already the most in history.

But would another MVP, even without another Super Bowl victory, elevate Manning to the best of all time? Better than Joe Montana, who led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl titles? Better than New England Patriots star Tom Brady, who has three Super Bowl title rings and is probably Manning's top competition in this year's MVP race? Better than Manning's boss -- John Elway -- who led the Broncos to five Super Bowls and won two?

"Best ever" is a conversation starter to be sure, and in the NFL, perhaps more than any other sport, greatness is measured not only in statistics and honors but Super Bowls.

"Peyton's four MVP awards show the incredible consistency that he's had for his entire career," said Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations and the NFL MVP in 1987.

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"No one else has been able to accomplish what he's been able to do. It shows the very high level he's played at over his entire career."

Manning, being Manning, avoids the question of his place in history with the finesse of a fade pattern.

"I've said this before and I'll say it again: It's very humbling to be mentioned amongst some of the all-time greats and some of my favorite quarterbacks -- guys like Dan Marino and John Elway," Manning said last week. "I'm just grateful to be playing the same position as those guys."

Only one player in modern North American team sports is unquestionably and undeniably his sport's best ever. That player is, of course, "The Great One." Wayne Gretzky won the NHL's Hart Trophy a remarkable nine times, including eight in a row, and led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup titles. He has the stats, too. Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records, including most career regular-season goals (894) and most total career goals, including the playoffs (1,016).

"He was my idol. The best ever, no question," said former Avalanche star Joe Sakic, who won the Hart Trophy in 2001. "The first time I ever played against him, I was taking a faceoff against him and I was kind of pinching myself inside. Every time he was on the ice in a game, it always felt exciting. You couldn't help but stare at him a little bit, even as an opponent. He was 'The Great One.'"

Elevating play of

teammates

The discussion of Manning's legacy must begin with a definition. Most valuable player doesn't necessarily mean the best or the most talented. And the award certainly isn't gauged solely on gaudy statistics.

"I've always thought the award should really be 'MVTP,' with the T standing for team player," said legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg, who began calling NFL games in 1966.

"I think about the Indianapolis Colts and all of those successful years. What would they have been without Peyton Manning? I mean, look (at) what happened to the Colts last year without him," said Lynch, referring to Indianapolis' 2-14 record that came after nine consecutive playoff appearances with Manning in command.

"I've seen what he's done with this Broncos team this year, and it's simply amazing," he said. "Great players, most-valuable players, make everyone around them better. Peyton does that for everybody. I'm talking players, coaches and staff. He's raised the standard throughout that building. I mean, it's just like Magic Johnson, he makes everyone better."

Johnson won three NBA MVPs, putting him in the same company of Larry Bird, LeBron James and Moses Malone. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most MVPs with six, followed by Michael Jordan and Bill Russell with five. James, only 27, could take a run at Abdul-Jabbar's record.

Nuggets coach George Karl argues it's difficult to compare the greatness of a quarterback with that of a guard, forward or center. He also said it's easier to single out the best player in the NBA than it is to single out the best player in the NFL.

"In football, there are 22 players, and special teams, with a high importance in every game, so it seems like you should have a most valuable quarterback, offensive player, lineman," Karl said. "In basketball, it's pretty easy at the end of a season to tell the world who's the best player. Over an 82-game season, the NBA knows who has the best year.

"With five players on the court for 35 minutes a game, people know who's the best player. But in football, who's the most valuable player? I know Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks, but the value of (a player to) win the championship? (Speaking) as a fan, I don't know that."

Already an all-time great

Major League Baseball's MVP is a different animal altogether. It's much more an individual sport, and one man's bat, even one as lethal as the one swung by home run king Barry Bonds, doesn't always equate to team success. Bonds won seven National League MVPs, far and away the most in history. But two clouds, one big, one small, taint his legacy. The darkest cloud concerns his alleged steroid use. The other cloud is the fact that in 22 seasons Bonds appeared in just one World Series and his team, the San Francisco Giants, lost, in 2002 to the Anaheim Angels.

Manning, on the other hand, is all about team, all about winning. Now in his 15th season, he's led his team to the postseason an astounding 12 times, including this season when the Broncos clinched the AFC West crown in Week 12. But is Irvin correct? Does Manning need to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at least one more time to be regarded as the best quarterback of all time? Or twice more?

Elway is all too familiar with the pressure that comes when talent and great expectations are heaped on a quarterback's shoulders. Elway's Broncos lost three Super Bowls in humbling fashion before winning twice to close out his Hall of Fame career. Elway is convinced that Manning's place in the highest level of the NFL pantheon is secure.

"He's already in the discussion as one of the all-time greats," Elway said. "Everyone wants to rank, but he's already in the conversation as one of the best. Winning Super Bowls just solidifies being part of the discussion."

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